Today at 01:03
Journalists have confirmed the identities of 158,143 Russian military personnel killed since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to a joint investigation by BBC Russian Service, based on open-source data, UATV English informs.
At least 33,203 Russian soldiers were killed in 2025, the investigation says. While this figure is officially lower than in 2024, when journalists recorded 64,950 deaths, new data is still emerging, and final estimates for 2025 will take several more months to complete.
Already, journalists note that 40% more obituaries were published in 2025 compared to last year. These obituaries do not necessarily represent fully verified losses, as some will be filtered out during verification. Nevertheless, 2025 is likely to become the deadliest year for the Russian army, despite ongoing diplomatic talks about a possible peace.
The average age of Russian soldiers killed in 2025 was 40, which is 15 years higher than in the first year of the invasion and two years higher than in 2024. The increase is especially notable among volunteers, where deaths most often involve men aged 45–47.
The data also shows that military contracts are most commonly signed by residents of small towns and rural areas, where stable, well-paid jobs are scarce. In such regions, pressure and recruitment efforts by local authorities are often significantly stronger than in major cities.
Previously, journalists had identified 155,368 Russian soldiers killed, about one-third of whom were volunteers.
